Relasting machine



c. E. JQHNSON 2,453,228

RELASTING MACHINE 3 Shet'lZS-Slleei'I 1 SII Nov. 9, 1948.

Filed oct. 11, 1947 Nov. 9, E948. c. E. JOHNSON BELASTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCb. l1, 1947 Il l nz/e n for Char/15 Johnson Nov. 9, 1948. c. E. JOHNSON -RELASTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 yFiled Oct. l1, 1947 [Twan for Cha/es Th/nava Patented Nov. 9, 1948 RELASTING MACHINE Charles E. Johnson, Belmont, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 11, 1947, Serial No. 779,329

Claims.

This invention relates to machines for eiecting relative movement between shoes and their lasts, and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for mounting shoes on lasts. While the invention is of particular importance in performing this latter operation, commonly known as relasting, it will be understood that it is not limited to such use or to embodiment in a machine of the particular type herein disclosed.

In making shoes of several different types there is a stage in their manufacture at which the partly nished shoes must be mounted on, and fully distended by, lasts. Making of the so-called slip-lasted shoe, for example, requires the insertion of a last into a preformed bag-like shoe upper unit. This shoe unit generally comprises a sock lining which has been stitched to an upper and a platform cover or wrapper that has been stitched to the edge of both the upper and the sock lining, theparts thus being secured together before the shoe upper unit is initially mounted on a last. Since the last in its extended condition is relied upon to give such shoes their nal form, the last inserting operation becomes a matter of considerable consequence. The shoe unit should be mounted on the last without placing any undue strain on the seam joining the parts of the unit and moreover the seam should be accurately alined with the edge of the bottom face of the last without any distortion of the parts of the shoe upper unit.

Unless otherwise stated, it will be understood that the term shoe unit as used herein means a shoe or other outer footwear in either completed or partially completed condition.

Shoes mounted on lasts by frictional contact with a device such as a rotating concentric roll may not always have their shank portions closely hugging the shank portions of the lasts so as to allow the back parts of the shoes to be mounted over the heel ends of the lasts without the aid of additional operating mechanism. To obtain the best results in seating a last in a shoe upper, especially when the shoe has a deep shank, it will be appreciated that the bottom of the shoe upper should first be tautly drawn over the forepart of the last to eliminate any wrinkles or looseness of fit and then wiped lengthwise of the last over the shank portion of the last. This tensioning of the shank of the shoe upper kunit as it is snugly pressed against the shank portion of the last will then ordinarily permit the rear portion of the shoe to be urged over the back of 2 the last by hand, or if desired, by manipulation of a shoe horn.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple and improved machine by the use of which a shoe unit may be mounted on a last in an expeditious and effective manner with little effort on the part of the operator and without injury to the shoe unit or the last.

For the attainment of the object in View a feature of the invention resides in the provision, in a relasting machine, of a tool in the form of a driven roll mounted eccentrically for frictionally engaging the bottom of a shoe unit `partially inserted over a last to draw the shoe unit rearwardly thereon. As illustrated, the impositively engaging eccentric roll is rotated to draw the shoe unit onto the last wherever it contacts the shoe bottom and, more particularly, the eccentricity of the roll serves to shift the locality of its engagement with the shoe bottom from the forepart, over the ball, and well into the shank.

Further to facilitate relasting operations, the invention provides a depressible jack which 'is yieldinglyr mounted and is treadle operated to enable the operator to change the rate of relative movement between the eccentric roll and the bottom of the shoe unit as well as to extend the range of engagement of the roll along the shoe unit bottom. Such means of extending this range of engagement is deemed preferable in most instances to the alternatives of utilizing a larger roll or arranging for heightwise movement of its eccentric axis relatively to the shoe bottom.

The above and other features, including details of construction and novel combinations of parts, will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a relasting machine embodying the present invention, the frame being partly broken away and the eccentric roll being shown in the approximate position it occupies at the beginning of the relasting operae tion;

Fig. 2 is a View in end elevation of a portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1, showing the jack carriage mountingand the means for driving the eccentric roll, the latter being partly broken away. v v

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate diagrammatically certain subsequent and successive positions of the roll in relasting engagement with the bottom of rthe same shoe unit, the roll being partly in section in Fig. 3 to indicate its construction;

posing Asli-ding movement of the carriagel 2S.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional View taken along the line VI--VI of Fig. l. showing the last-locking cam abutting the inner face of a last cone; and

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of Fig. 2 showing the mounting of the rest.

In the drawings, L designates a last and S des ignates afs'hoeiunitwhich is beingimounted thereon. The tool 'for mounting the shoe onthelast is a friction roll I0 (Fig. 3) comprising an outer annular portion I2 preferably composed of yieldable rubber or a yieldable rubber composition which is bonded to a metal hub I4. Referring to Fig. l, the hub I4 is feccentically "mounted on and removably secured to'ahoiizontalffdriven shaft I Ii supported in sleeve bushings I8 which are clamped in alined semi-.split @bearings 12B formed at the upper ends of spaced arms extending upwardly from the frame 22 of the'relasting machine. The construction permits an operator irea'dilytoldismount the roll when a wportion of its working surface has becomeworn yso that it `y`may'be reversed yend for end and remounted on the'slhaft to .provide :an'unworn working surface. "Rotation of the shaft |56 andthe eccentric -roll ['I'0 is yeectedb'y means ofa motor (not shown) driving a :fmultipleVl-type pulley 24 "(Fig. 2) 'in a counterclockwise direction yfas 'shown in Fig. l.

The upper portion 7of .the v"frame '22 constitutes -able ttowardtand .away dromthe roll iI. A gib 28 --may be insertedinatguideway to rcontact'oneside uof :the carriage 26. Thegib 28fis Yadjustable latferallyby 'turning a x'setscrew 3u to provide 'the 4'degree -of v'frictional :resistance desired :forrop- A lcable 312,:aixed to one yend of ithe'carri-age 25, ipasses" over a -pulley :34 supported .by the frame 22 `and is tensioned by va suitable Weight '3:6 vtending to draw the carriage/25 toward I thegroll I0. /Ani other '.fcable -38 (Fig. l) ,ali-:red toithe'opposite `end of `theA carriage l:26, vpasses over :pulleys-Allfand- 42 mountedinthe'f-rame 22 andis-:attached :to va yiti-eaidle :44 `which vis ffulcrumed on a-'rod fi 'l ymountedfin-fsuitable ybearings in the frame 22.

A fbracket 4,8 (not completely shown) secured tothe-:iranien :and `'havingan opening for the Acable v318 'is Aengageable With/*afblock --movably lattached ,tothe `cable 38 -fonthe lpurpose of -ad1 just/ablylimiting the extent -of travel of thecar- `nag-e215 vtoward-the rroll I 0 l effected lby theweight A-secondtreadle '52, also fulcr-umed on the'rod 1116, `has secured to .Vitone .end oa cable 54. The

other endof the cable ylllislfconnected by means .oiaipin/ 5Sto theiforkednlower .end 0f a .last sup- V.porting fjack 58v lwhich vis vertically yslid-able in a guideway 60 (Fig. 2) of the carriage 26. :Av-pin zafxed vto thecarriage -E61-projects into arfslot` 64 of lthe jack 58,-and.aspringrdepending from the pin r|572 is securedat its lower vextremity to relatively to the carriage 26 and the roll I0.

Aby :thespring 6 6.

lA substantially horizontal `laste-pin -.'I2 "is se 1 .cured inrtheiupper portion ofthe'jack 15,8 by a'pin J4. For use Withlasts of the two-.partiointed type, a 4f1as.t-.loclrng@canal f1.6 ds Dltovidcd' Which;. is

Wcone, a dimension which may vary considerably in different styles and sizes of lasts. lt will be 'understood that the cam member l is detachab-ly mounted and may be dispensed with when workl ing with solid or non-jointed lasts.

' tip as shown in Fig. G. tending to break the last is accordingly opposed A'rest 'I8 (Figsll, 2 and 7) for cushioning the "cone 'tipfof the last is secured tothe jack 58 by y-a -bolt 8i) threaded to receive a wing nut $2 and lwasher 84. The rest 'i8 is in the form of a channel-shaped block disposed heightwise of the jack 5S, the' channel having inwardly inclined sidewalls loosely engageable With the sides of the stront coneofithe llast to aid in limiting its turn- ;ingmovement about a vertical axis, and a vertical bed 6 which may be covered With a suitable re silientzmaterial such as rubber to seat the last .cone'tip and provide the forepart of the last with lateral support against collapse. A. projection 8S .of therest 18, through which the bolt @ii extends, has curved sides engaging an arcuate slot @il in the jack -58 and permits the rest i8 to be moved, Itogether with the last locking cam member i6 when used, so as to position and hold the last angularly-about the last pin l2. e

Inv-operation, the treadle lili will irst be depressed to retract'the jack 58 and carriage 2b .from-the operating range of the roll Id. A shoe unit `Sis then partially mounted by hand on the .last Land, with the -toe down, the last is placed `on the last pin iii. .jointed ,lastis being used and that the last vis in its v.extended condition, it is locked in non-col lapsible operating position with its cone tip against the bed 8E of the rest 'iii by means of vthe cam 'I6 which is rotated about the last pin "l2 ,byLhand until vthe eccentric peripheral surface A of the camabuts the inner face of the cone Any operating thrust "by wedge-'likesupport of the cam it'. For reasons explained below, the rest i8 and the last L "may then 'be swung with the cam l5 about the 'last pin l2 so as to incline slightly from the Avertical, and having determined the appropriate degree of this adjustment from previous experience-With the style of last being utilized, the op- `'ei'ator'will `then turn wing nut 82 to securethe llastin adjusted position. As the roll Iii rotates relatively slowly into the initial position shown in Fig. l,`i. e., as it is about to begin its advance ltoward thelast, lthe treadle fill is released until block 5D lengages bracket i8 therebypermitting fthe weight 36 to draw the carriage 25 and the jack 53 towardthe roll it into a position wherein the roll, as it rotates, will come into frictional con- 'tactlwith the 'bottom of the forepart of the shoe unit S.' IThe steady pressure exerted by the roll lduring this contact eiects traction adequate for the i-nitial` movement oi the forepart of the shoe unit upward relatively to the last. It will be un- *derstood that if diiierent pressure is desired in unit canI upwardly directed frictional "force, the

Assuming that a twop.art

Yaes-asas llocality of application of which progresses upwardly in the different successive positions of cont-act illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

The carriage 26 yields horizontally along its guideway under the horizontal component or thrust of the rotating eccentric roll I 0 against the shoe unit bottom, while the weight 36 holds the shoe unit bottom against the roll with a predetermined pressure. The upward traction of the roll I0 on the bottom surface of the shoe unit isI roughly proportional to the resistance to lateral movement of the last as afforded by the weight 36 and the guideways acting on the carriage 26.

It will be noted that the eccentric motion of the roll locality of its frictional engagement upwardly lengthwise along the shoe unit bottom. The operator can lower jack 58 to extend the vertical range of such engagement, and he can increase the rate at which the locality of engagement may i,

be transferred along the shoe unit bottom, by depressing the treadle 52. Also, if he so desiresY he may assist in the operation by pressing downwardly by hand on the top of jack 58, thereby yieldingly lowering the jack 58 and the last L relatively to the shoe contacting zone of the roll I0, and causing the forepart of the shoe unit bottom to be wiped more rapidly upward over the corresponding portion of the last and transn ferring the frictional wiping over the ball line well into the shank portion. In this connection an operator may find it preferable to retard downward movement of the last when the shoe contacting portion of the roll I D is at the ball line of the shoe unit bottom (Fig. 4) thus allow ing frictional action of the roll to tension and distend the shoe unit over the forepart of the last. The shoe contacting portion of the roll l0 will then normally be farthest from the shaft I6. By further depression of the treadle 52 to further lower last L the upward wiping action of the roll l0 is transferred upwardly and inwardly over the shank portion of the shoe unit bottom, pressing the latter snugly over the corresponding portion of the last bottom, as shown in posi.- tion 4, Fig. 5. At this stage of the operation the roll I D may have started to reverse its horizontal component of movement, and the weight 36 will continue to maintain operative pressure between the surface of the shoe unit bottom and the roll I0. With the wiping of the shank portion of the shoe unit upwardly o-ver the corresponding portion of the last, the working cycle of the roll l0 is completed. The treadle 52 is then released and the treadle 44 is depressed to move the jack 58 away from the operating range of the roll IU to where the back portion of the shoe may be manually drawn over the back of the last and the lasted unit may be removed from the machine.

As has been noted above, the last L may have been angularly turned with the cam 16 and the rest 78 about the last pin 'I2 so as to incline from the vertical. Slanting the last relatively to the roll I0 in this manner adjusts the area of contact transversely between the roll and the bottom forepart of the shoe unit and provides an accommodation for the swing of the last which is important in securing appropriate distribution of traction for the even relasting of the entire shoe forepart. The optimum degree of slant to be given successive lasts is readily determined and normally constant for shoes of the same or similar style. The angular setting of the rest 18 may be easily modied when the last styles are changed. Moreover, with more di- |0 in itself is such as to transfer the cult shoes to be relasted an operator may vary the-inclination of each last manually during operation of the roll so as to attain traction along each shoe bottom in the several directions desired. Because of the transverse pitch of the last bottom, such directional changes in the draw of the roll may readily be made to assure aiinement 'of a seam in the upper with the bottom edge of the last.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a machine for effecting relative movement betweenlshoe units and lasts, a support 'for a last, and a friction tool engageable with a shoe unit on the last to move the shoe unit relatively to the last, said tool comprising a driven eccentric roll.

2. A machine for mounting shoe units on lasts comprising a driven eccentric roll, and a support for a last constructed and arranged to enable the forepart of the bottom of a shoe unit on the last yieldingly to engage said roll, the eccentricity of the roll serving to shift the locality of its engagement with the shoe unit bottom from the forepart to the shank portion, and the roll operating frictionally to urge the shoe unit rearwardly on the last wherever it engages the shoe unit botto-m.

3. A machine for mounting shoe units on lasts comprising a driven eccentric roll frictionally engageable with a shoe unit bottom, a support for a last having the shoe unit partially mounted thereon, means for moving the support yieldabit7 to hold the last in operating position relatively to the roll, and means for varying lengthwise along the shoe unit bottom the locality of engagement of the shoe unit bottom with said roll, the last-mentioned means serving to extend the operating' range of said roll along the shoe unit bottom.

4. In a machine for mounting shoe units on lasts, a driven eccentric roll frictionally engage able with the bottom of a shoe unit partially mounted on a last, a jack for supporting the last, a carriage for supporting said jack, a guideway along which the carriage is horizontally movable to move the last and the shoe unit thereon toward and from the roll, said jack being mo-unted for heightwise movement in said carriage, means for urging said carriage along said guideway to hold the shoe unit bottom pressed against the roll, and means for moving the jack heightwise in the carriage to shift the locality of operation of the roll upon the shoe unit bottom.

5. A machine for mounting shoe units on lasts comprising a driven eccentric roll frictionally engageable with the bottom of a shoe unit partially mounted on a last, a jack carrying a last pin engageable with the back cone of the last and a rest engageable with the front cone of the last, a support for the jack, means acting upon said support to hold the shoe unit bottom pressed against the roll, said jack being movable in said support to shift the locality of engagement of the roll upon the shoe unit bottom, means for so moving the jack in the support, and means for adjusting the inclination of the last relatively to the roll to change the direction of frictional engagement of the latter on the shoe unit bottom whereby relative movement between the shoe unit and the last may be effected to accommodate the degree of swing of the forepart of the last.

6. A machine for mounting shoe units on lasts afanes-,22s

. ycomprising =a -\driven eeccentric v-roll .frictionally :engageable vwith thewbottom of ashoeuunitspari rtiallymounted on,l a collapsible lastpfa ,Jack vfor supporting Afthe-last, acarriage. rin fvvhiclfr- ,thenj ack is 'mounted' said `carriage i being movablefhori- 4zontaliy `to-nriove'the fshoe ,-unitbottom ltoward .and from the roll, ymeans fasting -onlthe lcarriage -to hold the slice unit bottornfn `operativev con tact with the roll, a last pin secured to saidsja'ck fand engageable with the 'ba'ck-V cone-:ot `.the I last,

' va yrest' associated-with saidiack'iorreceiving the front last conejto sustain the latter against the operating thrustv of thewroll and :also to :holdfthe last in a predetermined angular position about i the last pin, means for vadjusting thefrest 'angularly with respect to the last pin tovarythe angular position of the last, and a'cam mounted for turning movementabout saidlast pin ar- Lmounted .means for yieldably yurgingthesupport towardtthe friction roll Ato hold the. snoei-unit -means-forsettingthe rest angularly vvthres `to `the -rollto maintain the last and shoe unitxin bottom against-the .xroll, a frontlastfcone fst, ct

-a desired angular position, and treadle--controlled .means :for effecting Irelative movement `between theeccentric roll Aand the vlast support-toextend wthe range of operation .of the `eccentric roll along kranged tofengage the frontcone `of the last, said cam serving to Ylock the `forepart kof fthe last -against collapse during operation .of theroll on `said shoe unit bottom.

,'7. In a machine :for mounting shoe units 'on lasts, a driven roll mounted eccentrically, a carriage movable horizontally withfrespect tov said roll, a jack mountedr in said carriageA yieldable heigl-ltW-ise of said vroll for supporting-,a-icollapsible last having a shoe unit partially mounted thereon, means acting upon said carriage to.'hold the bottom of the shoe unit in frictional-'con- '-taet With the rollfmeans engageable'withthe last for setting theanglewvith Whichzthe shoe `vunit bottom engages the roll, 'andi means for for a last on which a shoe unitfis partially` theubottom :of the shoe unit -to move the shoe )unit further onto the last.

`9. .Almachine fon-mounting shoeunits onf-lasts comprising a driven eccentric roll frictionally engageable with the bottom lof shoesunit, a

support for a lasten which `theshoe unithas been partially mounted, .a carriage `fortsaid last support, mea-nsr acting on said carriage -to main- Y tain the last -inyieldable operative. position relatively to the r'oll, means associated yvvitlisaid carriage for shifting the locality of engagement -of vsaid roll along the shoe unit bottom, and `adjustable means on said support for .holding the .last rigidly during such engagement angular -relation to said roll.

in4 selected `-1,0. In a Imachine for eiecting .relative movement between a collapsible last and a--shoe :unit thereon, a lfriction tool engageable with `the bottom of the shoe unit, 4a last pin engageable with aV-thimblehole rin vthe rear cone-of the last, and a pivotally mounted cam having an eccentric periphery lwhich is engage-able with -the lliront `cone of the last .to hold the last distended, rotation of the cam serving to bring lits yperiphery into operative engagement with the front A-cone of the last Iregardless of the dimensions ofthe last.

CHARLES rE. JOHNSON.

No references cited. 

